Re: Echo Stress Tests

Posted By Lourdes on December 15, 1998 at 18:34:55:

In Reply to: Echo Stress Tests posted by Lourdes on December 15, 1998 at 18:10:56:






I was reading an answer to a post on this forum regarding whether or not echocardiograms can detect artery blockages.  The answer was that echos cannot detect even the most serious of artery blockages.  My first question is, why do cardiologists use stress echos to determine whether heart disease may be present if echos cannot detect blocked arteries? I'm confused. My second question is, wouldn't the stress thallium the best non-invasive test there is to detect artery blockages rather than a stress echo considering that an echo cannot detect blockages?
I'm sorry I forgot to include one other point. My grandmother told me once when she went in for an echo, while she was having it the technician conducting the test was speaking into a microphone recording her findings. And my grandmother specifically heard her say "arteries seem clear". So that's the reason I'm confused. The doctor on this forum said echos cannot tell you whether arteries arae clear or not. This is why people like us who post on this forum are so confused half of the time because it seems like when it comes to the heart, we are constantly being given conflicting information. Our doctors or nurses say one thing and we read another thing in a magazine or book and then turn around and read something different here. It's very discouraging and scary.  It's hard to believe our doctors when they say "I think you'll be fine" when there are so many "if's" "and's" and "but's" when it comes to the heart.  I thank you for this forum...I think it's very helpful, but I guess I'm just trying to point out that the heart is such a complex organ that nothing is definate and that's scary when you're a heart patient like us who often sit around and wonder "when is the inevitable going to happen?" This echocardiogram issue is just one of many that's confusing.